With the help of a drone scouting out the situation, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) successfully extinguished a 90-metre wide grass fire in an open field.
The blaze, which took place early Tuesday morning near Plessis Road, east of the Symington Yards, was initially inaccessible by fire crews, but the WFPS was able to use specialized equipment to extinguish spot fires in hard-to-reach areas.
There were no injuries in the fire, and the only damage was to a few Hydro poles.
WFPS investigators said they don’t believe the fire was started by rail traffic, as the nearest track is a kilometre away.
In general, Manitoba has been experiencing dry conditions, which could make fires like this one – or the blaze at Falcon Lake over the long weekend – more likely.
The Province of Manitoba’s wildfire programs coordinator, Brock Happychuk, told 680 CJOB that, so far, the province’s fire situation hasn’t been too devastating.
“We’ve had a bit of a slower start to this year’s wildfire season compared to previous years, despite the dry conditions,” he said.
“At this point in time, we’re sitting at about 63 wildfires that we’ve numbered… that puts us at a little bit less than average at this time.”
Happychuk said although rain is in the forecast, he’s unwilling to call it a solution to potential wildfires until it’s actually on the ground – and that Manitobans should continue to exercise caution even if there are a few millimeters of rain on the ground.
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